The hand in which he wrote the address was not a steady one, but write it he did, somehow, and went down stairs to open the street door, ready for the coming of the poulterer’s man. As he stood there, waiting his arrival, the knocker caught his eye.
“I shall love it as long as I live!” cried Scrooge, patting it with his hand. “I scarcely ever looked at it before. What an honest expression it has in its face! It’s a wonderful knocker!—Here’s the Turkey. Hallo! Whoop! How are you? Merry Christmas!”
It WAS a Turkey! He never could have stood upon his legs, that bird. He would have snapped ‘e, off short in a minute, like sticks of sealing-wax.
“Why, it’s impossible to carry that to Camden Town,” said Scrooge. “You must have a cab.”
The chuckle with which he said this., and the chuckle with which he paid for the Turkey, and the chuckle with which he paid for the cab, and the chuckle with which he recompensed the boy, were only to be exceeded by the chuckle with which he sat down breathless in his chair again, and chuckled till he cried.
Shaving was not an easy task, for his hand continued to shake very much, and shaving requires attention, even when you don’t dance while you are at it. But if he had cut the end of his nose off, he would have put a piece of sticking-plaster over it, and been quite satisfied.
He dressed himself “all in his best”, and at last got out into the streets. The people were by this time pouring forth, as he had seen them with the Ghost of Christmas present; and walking with his hands behind him, Scrooge regarded every one with a delighted smile. He looked so irresistibly pleasant, in a word, that three or four good-humoured fellows said, “Good morning, sir! A merry Christmas to you!” And Scrooge said often afterwards, that of all the blithe sounds he had ever heard, those were the blithest to his ears.
He had not gone far, when coming out towards him he beheld the portly gentleman, who had walked into his counting-house the day before and said, “Scrooge and Marley’s, I presume?” It sent a [pang across his heart to think how this old gentleman would look upon him when they met, but he knew what path lay straight before him, and he took it.
“My dear sir,” said Scrooge, quickening his pace, and taking the old gentleman by both his hands, “How do you do? I hope you succeeded yesterday. It was very kind of you. A merry Christmas to you, sir!”
“Mr. Scrooge?”
“Yes,” said Scrooge. “That is my name and I fear it may not be pleasant to you. Allow me to ask your pardon. And will you have the goodness”—here Scrooge whispered I his ear.
“Lord bless me!” cried the gentleman, as if his breath were gone. “My dear Mr. Scrooge, are you serious?”
“If you please,” said Scrooge. “Not a farthing less. A great many back-payments are included in it, I assure you. Will you do me that honour?”
“My drear sir,” said the other, shaking hands with him. “I don’t know what to say to such munifi—”
“Don’t say anything, please,” retorted Scrooge. “Come and see me. Will you come and see me?”
“I will!” cried the old gentleman. And it was clear he meant what he said.
“Thank’ee,” said Scrooge. “I am much obliged to you. I thank you fifty times. Bless you!”
Scrooge is now free to make amends for years of nastiness, and begins to do so. So much happens in a short time that many filmmakers, oddly, omit the part where he stops to admire the knocker that started it all.
It is perhaps only fair to note how many people cry “Humbug!” at this point. Some complain that the provision of one turkey for one family’s dinner hardly even begins to address the problem of poverty among the lower middle class. Others complain that if Bob Cratchit had ever really been worth the fifteen bob a week Scrooge allowed him, he could easily and readily have found a better-paying job years ago. By bestowing gifts upon the Cratchits and thus rewarding an inefficient worker, Scrooge is merely undermining the national economy and making things worse for everybody.
Such folks are, of course, entitled to their opinion. But I wouldn’t sit down to a smoking bowl of hot bishop with any of ‘em. Anyhow, perhaps that IS the way to address large problems: by taking hold of the smallest handles. Who is to say that the easiest way to combat misery is one turkey dinner at a time? And, after all, Scrooge does accost the Charity Solicitor when he…where were we?
After Hicks has sent the boy to buy the turkey, the movie takes a brief detour (much of which was cut from the version edited for 1940s television.) The boy suddenly returns, calling that no one answers at the Poulterer’s. Scrooge is distressed; this will never do. “I’ve got to have that turkey.” Tossing a coat over his nightshirt, he hurries out, telling Mrs. Dilber to bring out his best clothes from the box room. When he and the boy reach the poulterer’s, the boy bangs on the door while Scrooge lobs a snowball at an upper window. Naturally, the merchant opens his window at precisely that moment, and gets the snowball square in the face. He snaps at the pranksters below, and slams his window, sending a cascade of snow onto Scrooge’s head. The boy laughs fit to kill, which confirms the poulterer’s suspicions when he opens the door. When a snow-covered old geezer in a coat and nightshirt orders the prize turkey, and asks that it be delivered to his house, he is very slightly mollified. “My friend here will show you the way,” Scrooge promises, and as the poulterer jerks his head to call the boy indoors, Scrooge rushes home to dress. Mrs. Dilber has been cheerfully preparing his finery. Scrooge pauses at the door to address the knocker, calling “Hello, Marley! Merry Christmas!” Inside, he thanks Mrs. Dilber with such a generous tip that she goes into raptures during which she can say only “Oh!” After she leaves, Scrooge is maddeningly deliberate about dressing, oblivious to the boy now shouting and banging on the door. The poulterer, still grumpy, is convinced that it has all been a hoax after all, and turns to go. The boy turns to implore him to come back when the door opens. A meticulously dapper Scrooge steps out, stunning both man and boy with the amount he pays them. Scrooge leaves this amazed couple to stroll along the street, greeting and being greeted as he passes through the throng. The Charity Solicitors spot him, and are not pleased by the sight; they announce his name with acute frigidity. The sum he whispers to one man is announced by that worthy as “An even hundred!” They become quite merry with them as he procures their promise to come visit him.
Owen shaves with difficulty. He steps out of his front door, the turkey in his arms. He knocks at his own knocker, greets people on the street, and makes amends with one of the solicitors.
Sim I omits all of this.
March, outside, does not recognize the Charity Solicitors at first. When he does, he states, just like a businessman, “I wish to withdraw certain remarks I made yesterday: I wish to apologize, and I wish to put my name on your list.” The heavyset solicitor is stiff at first, but is thrilled when Scrooge counts out four coins. “A great many back payments are included in that, I assure you. Thank you. Merry Christmas.”
Rathbone ambles through the streets, trying to sing “The Holly and the Ivy”, not quite getting the words right, and not caring very much about that.
Magoo pulls money from under his bed, reprising “Ringle Ringle” as a song about the joys of spending money to make people happy. He heads outside, realizes he is dressed only in his nightshirt, and returns to put his hat on to make him look respectable. Mistaking the poulterer’s stomach for the turkey, he pays for the bird and then the cab with two fistfuls of money, and knocks the boy over by tossing him the rest of the bag. He has the turkey sent to Bob Cratchit’s at 21 Groveny Lane. Then he steps back inside, pausing only to admire the door knocker, which winks at us after he has gone in. Later, fully dressed, he strolls along the street greeting people. He bumps into the Charity Solicitors, and everyone falls down. One solicitor apologizes; Scrooge will have none of this, saying it was entirely his own fault. Seeing who it is, the men are astonished by this humble tone. “Mr. Scrooge?” “Do I know you?” “We were, er, in your office last evening.” “Oh, of course. How do you do? A Merry Christmas to you, sir!” “You ARE Mr. Scrooge?” He hands them a smaller bag than he tossed at the boy, assuring them he will give them “not a farthing less”, and performs the dialogue through “Come and see me.” By the time he wishes them another merry Christmas, they are all smiles, one man nodding vigorously.
The boy delivers the turkey to Haddrick; Scrooge refuses to accept the change, giving it to the boy. “Thank you, sir!” “On the contrary: thank you!”
Sim II spots the fatter of the Charity Solicitors and moves to block his progress. He is humble, the solicitor pompous and distant. Scrooge whispers an amount to him, adding “Come and see me.” “I will. I will!” “Bless you.”
Finney, seeing the bird, exclaims, “Now THAT’S what I call a turkey!” After dancing around the sled on which it is being transported, he begins to pull it himself, calling behind him, “Come on, dear boy. Let’s go and open the toy shop!”
In Matthau, the chorus and/or Scrooge reprise “Listen to the Song of the Christmas Spirit”. Taling his hat and cane, he starts out. B.A.H. Humbug calls “You can’t go out like that!” “I must doo my Christmas shopping!” “Without your pants?”
McDuck starts out, realizes he is also only in his nightshirt, and returns for his cane. Strolling out like this, he slides down the banister of his front staircase, landing near the Charity Solicitors. He showers them with money, tossing out more whenever they make a sound, and proves no one there can actually count. (They seem to see “a hundred golden sovereigns” when there are many times that amount.) ‘And not a penny less!” cries Scrooge, kicking up his heels as he hurries off through the snow. He greets people who are justifiably startled.
In Scott, the Poulterer also loses faith as the boy pounds on Scrooge’s door and shouts. Scrooge appears in the nick of time, handing the boy a sovereign, and presenting the poulterer with the address, the cash for the bird, and a healthy tip. (The chap has a delivery wagon, so he doesn’t require a cab.) He then strolls along greeting people and handing money to the carolers who annoyed him yesterday, telling them they are glorious and exactly like angels. He fails to recognize the Charity Solicitors at first, and has to turn and run after them. In response to his greeting, one solicitor inquires “Mr. Scrooge?” as if the words have deposited a terrible taste on his tongue. When the conversation gets around to an amount, Scrooge whispers it to one man, who whispers it to the other. They are chattering with excitement about this sum as Scrooge leaves.
In Caine, Dickens reads us some of the material about strolling out to greet people (including Dickens and his companion rat.) When he meets the Solicitors, the two men are terrified to see him. “About the charity donation you asked me for yesterday,” Scrooge says, with humble urgency, “Put me down for (he whispers the amount.)” The men are astounded. “Not a penny less. A great many back payments are included in it, I assure you.” One man wishes there were something he could give Scrooge; the other immediately pulls off a scarf and hands it to the ex-miser. Scrooge, much moved by it (it is the only spot of color in his somber attire), thanks him. “Fifty times!” The boy appears with the turkey and is told “Follow me!” (He’s excited, or he might help the boy with the turkey which is ”twice as big as me”.)
Curry strolls out among people. Stunned passersby (who include the businessmen we saw discussing his death) stare after him as he wishes them a merry Christmas and moves on. Recognizing the Charity Solicitors, he exclaims, “Oh, der!” They also recognize him, and turn to run. Debit goes after them as Scrooge shouts, and grabs one by the cuff. They promise never to bother him for money again. His apology for treating them so badly astounds them. “You are Mr. Scrooge?” “Well, not that OLD Scrooge, at any rate. Please let me donate something.” But then he doesn’t, instead making an appointment for them to come and see him tomorrow. They agree, but ask him “Why now?” “Because it’s too late to do it when you’re dead!” They agree with this, and leave. Scrooge confides to Debit, “I LIKE this feeling. Though I’m not used to all this smiling yet.”
Stewart dances and skips downstairs. The boy, appearing with the poulterer and the prize turkey, snaps “Now, where’s my two shillings?” Scrooge turns these over. Crying “Whoops!” the boy rushes off. Scrooge gives the poulterer the address, which is 24 Camden Road, Camdentown. The poulterer, bewildered or dismayed, repeats this, which makes Scrooge laugh heartily, confounding him. Still laughing, Scrooge explains the joke: the man can’t possibly carry that turkey all the way to Camdentown, and must take a cab. The poulterer starts to laugh along with Scrooge. Some time later, we see Scrooge stroll out to greet people, most of whoma re stunned by this apparition. He gives money to a beggar. He compliments children on their snowman. When he turns to go, they pelt him with snowballs. Gleefully, he returns fire.
FUSS FUSS FUSS: The Magic Of Your Smile
“I LIKE this feeling. Though I’m not used to all this smiling yet.”
You may not have noticed, but the pre-Ghost Scrooge was able to smile and laugh. Some seem to do it quite a lot, in fact, while for others it is a startling anomaly. (What kind of business does he run, by the way, where it is unnecessary ever to be pleasant to the customers? Did he lend money only to those too desperate to care if he treated them like dirt?)
Hicks APPROCHES a smile only once in the early going, when he beckons Cratchit over to be lectured on the price of coal.
Owens smiles not at all until the Ghost takes him to see his old school. Marley is even less cheerful; it must have been a jolly partnership.
Sim I is not much of a smiler, either. That grimace of contempt at the Charity Solicitors might be a kind of smile; a similar grimace adorns his face when Bob urges for the day off. (In a version of the scene seven years earlier, when Marley is dying, Scrooge IS definitely smiling, perhaps at his own little joke.) Je does laugh at his own “I’ll retire to Bedlam.”
March smiles only twice, a lurid grimace of indefinite intent, on “decrease the surplus population” and “more of gravy than of grave”.
Rathbone smiles for the first time when Marley offers him a chance to escape his old partner’s fate.
Magoo is the first of our Scrooges who finds joy in his life, chortling to himself while counting money, smiling—with menace–twice as he torments Bob Cratchit, and smiling once again at Marley’s offer to help him escape becoming a wandering spirit.
Haddrick also smiles on “You were always a good friend to me, Jacob”; it is his first smile in the whole show.
Sim II is NEARLY smiling on “decrease the surplus population”, but that is a definite smile (or smirk) when he bids the Charity Solicitors farewell with an oily “Good afternoon.” He smiles and even laughs in the presence of Marley during the speech about the undigested bit of beef.
Finney does NOT smile; the best you can hope for from his Scrooge is a slight lessening of his growl. His first attempt at a smile is while begging Marley to let him have all three spirits at once, and have it over with.
Matthau enjoys his work. He smiles while counting money, perhaps while cheating Cratchit out of a day’s pay for Christmas, and again when he reflects he no longer needs to split his profit with Jacob Marley.
McDuck is perhaps the second-greatest smiler in this group. He grins when he recalls the deal he made on Marley’s tombstone, when he computes what he pays Cratchit, when he tricks Fred into thinking he MIGHT come to Christmas dinner, when he assumes the Charity Solicitors are customers, and while reminiscing with Marley about business deals gone by.
Scott is the champion smiler: with this clutching, covetous old sinner, a smile becomes a weapon. He laughs and smiles about the humbug of Christmas as an unsmiling Fred listens. He smiles when driving a hard bargain for corn, and again when insulting the Charity Solicitors. The smile drops when he learns what they want from hi, but it appears again when he is assured there are still workhouses. He smiles when saying “nothing” and again on “decrease the surplus population”. He smiles again when telling Marley there is “more of gravy than of grave” about this apparition. He is capable of a particularly unpleasant smile; the smile he smiles on witnessing Fezziwig’s party is an entirely different expression, indicating an inner change.
Caine’s smile on declaring that Christmas is “harvest time for the moneylenders” is one of genuine pleasure, as are those when he has convinced his bookkeepers they don’t, after all, need any more coal and when he is informed that there are plenty of workhouses. When nephew Fred admits to falling in love, Scrooge laughs out loud.
Curry laughs when insulting the food at the tavern, but he does not actually smile until visiting his old school.
Stewart smiles at the humbug on “every item dead against you” and on “because you fell in love.” There is a half smile on “I’ll retire to Bedlam”; he smiles in genuine amusement at the Charity Solicitors, telling them he assumes they are new to the neighborhood.
Blogsy Babbles 